GOVERNMENT LAXITY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 959, 30 April 1930, Page 1

GOVERNMENT LAXITY

GENERAL RICHARDSON HITS OUT REHABILITATION COMMISSION “The Governmerft is showing an entire lack of sympathy for the welfare of the unemployed exsoldiers of the Dominion,'’ declared Colonel T. H. Dawson at the annual meeting of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association last evening. “I can only conclude that the Cabinet has no great interest in the welfare of these men.” Mr. Dawson referred to the recent sitting of the Rehabilitation Commission, set up by the Government at the request of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association at the expense of the men themselves, which sat in Auckland last November. A large mass of evidence collected from all over the province was presented at the sittings. So far, however, neither the report nor the recommendations of this commission had been issued. Any scheme of employment for ex-soldiers could not be successful without Government assistance and private employers would not act without a lead. “Some Minister of the Crown has forgotten about this report or is too busy to attend to it,” said Mr. Dawson.

“Too busy electioneering,” suggested the chairman. A motion brought forward by Mr. Dawson stated that the meeting viewed with great disfavour the fact that the Government had taken no action regarding the commission’s recommendations and has not published the report. “Colonel Dawson was quite right in saying that the Government has been very lax in giving no lead after six months,” said Major-General Sir George Richardson at a later stage in the proceedings. There had been a great deal of work to be: done in connection with the commission, he said, but all the evidence available had been brought forward to enable a right decision to be made. “Unless the recommendations are to be acted upon, the commission will have been an entirely useless expense,” concluded the speaker.